Three new University of Arizona-led studies are trying to determine if “forever chemicals” known as PFAS compounds increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 or weaken vaccines’ ability to protect against the disease. One new study specifically targets the effects of PFAS on firefighters’ antibody response to COVID-19, said UArizona public health professor Jeff Burgess, lead researcher on all three studies.

Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD, at the University of Arizona Center for Innovation in Brain Science, is researching Type 2 diabetes therapies and associated risks of Alzheimer’s in women. The funding for her study is a $500,000 grant from the Women's Alzheimer's Movement.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen an increase of digital healthcare, especially by older adults. The Arizona Telemedicine Program founded by Ronald S. Weinstein, MD, at the University of Arizona, offers resources for patients as well as medical practitioners including the Telemedicine and Telehealth Service Provider Directory connecting patients with providers offering medical services online statewide.

When it comes to sleep, need and ability are two different things. “It’s pretty clear that sleep ability decreases with age,” says Michael Grandner, director of the Sleep and Health Research Center at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. Many older adults assume that their inability to sleep soundly or for extended periods is a sign that they don’t need as much rest. But that’s probably not true, Grandner says.

One of the unsolved mysteries about COVID-19 is why it has a lesser impact on children, even kids with asthma. University of Arizona pediatric researcher Fernando Martinez, director of the Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, says children in general are at lower risk for COVID-19, but why the disease does not affect those with asthma is especially interesting.

Despite some issues with availability, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show most people are receiving the second dose of the COVID vaccine on time. But some people are reporting more serious side effects with the second dose. One University of Arizona expert says that means the vaccine is working.

COVID-19 vaccinations aren't being distributed at the same rate across Maricopa County's ZIP codes. According to the county's COVID-19 vaccine dashboard, some areas of Maricopa County have significantly lower vaccination rates than others. "We've disproportionately not vaccinated the places that need it the most," said Dr. Shad Marvasti with the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix.

The significant role and impact of structural racism needs to be considered in racial and ethnic health-disparities research, say the editors of the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. Khadijah K. Breathett, MD, assistant professor in the Division of Cardiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson and associate editor of the journal, co-authored the statement.

A University of Arizona Health Sciences study that is examining COVID-19 immunity and re-infection among frontline workers is expanding to include some Arizona college students while broadening its research focus to include COVID-19 vaccination effectiveness.

As a state site, it will eventually be able to operate 24/7 and serve up to 6,000 people per day.